Detective Conan: Death Note

"What the hell are you writing!?"

"Story outlines."

"Huh?"

Isao Sawaguri stared in confusion.

He flipped through several pages of the notebook, only to find unfamiliar names, fragments of plot, and long sentences written in foreign languages. Nothing looked remotely related to the case. Frustrated, he snapped:

"I asked you to solve the damn case, and you're scribbling nonsense!? Do you have a death wish!? Or is this some code to secretly communicate with your assistants!?"

His voice grew shrill, paranoia creeping in.

He aimed the dark barrel of his gun at Hayashi Yoshiki, then quickly glanced at Amuro Toru and Natsuki Koshimizu.

He had heard that those two were Yoshiki's assistants—so if any secret messages were being passed, it had to be between them.

"Calm down," Hayashi Yoshiki replied, his tone eerily composed. "It's not that I'm ignoring what's in front of me."

He looked Zakuri in the eye. "Let's talk about how Miku-san gave her nicknames."

"You mean... You already know who the 'mouse' is!?" Zakuri asked, his excitement rising.

Hayashi Yoshiki continued as if he hadn't heard him:

"The first person who went to ask for an autograph was the elephant. Since Miku-san had just taken a bath, her body would still be warm and covered in moisture. Writing under those conditions would cause the paper to wrinkle. So, the one with the wrinkled autograph page—Sumika Nihei—must be the elephant."

"Furthermore, Miku-san noticed the condition of her visitor's slippers, suggesting that the person was detail-oriented. That would explain why the first page of the signed book was wrinkled, but the rest remained pristine."

Isao Sawaguri's lips curled into a grin.

He lowered his gun slightly, no longer aiming at Yoshiki.

"Yeah... that makes sense. You're right. So... who's next?"

"Before we continue, may I have my notebook back?"

"Here! Take it!"

Zakuri thrust it back into his hands, eager for more answers.

But Yoshiki didn't respond right away.

He began to revise his notes.

He'd already written Cause of Death: Controlled, but cleverly disguised it.

"The Death Note allows edits within 6 minutes and 40 seconds. To revise an entry, the user must cross out the content with two horizontal lines. While time and method of death may be changed this way, the person whose name is written cannot escape death by any means."

That meant one could write an entire passage filled with false content, hide the real entry within, and simply erase the rest when needed.

Hayashi Yoshiki couldn't afford to let his guard down around the unstable and impatient Isao Sawaguri.

Fortunately... he'd prepared for this.

He began writing the location in a blank space he'd left earlier.

Isao Sawaguri, growing irritated by the delay, urged him on.

Meanwhile, Sumika Nihei—the tall woman—breathed a sigh of relief, believing herself cleared of suspicion. But Amuro, Ran, and others... felt something was off.

Why was Yoshiki so fixated on his notebook in such a critical moment?

And why insist on continuing to write under this life-or-death pressure?

That wasn't like him.

He paused.

His composure remained, but his shallow breath before speaking was enough of a signal. Everyone realized:

Hayashi Yoshiki was stalling for time... or perhaps, deflecting pressure.

Because once he solved the case, Isao Sawaguri had vowed to kill the culprit and then himself.

Which meant two deaths would weigh on Yoshiki's conscience.

And for someone as kind-hearted as him, that was unbearable.

But if he kept stalling, Isao Sawaguri might just blow them all to pieces.

So what could he do?

The moral dilemma was like the trolley problem—neither side truly fair, each a test of one's ethical compass.

Amuro Toru frowned deeply.

He knew stalling was pointless. No third party was coming to save them.

And as a public security officer and undercover agent, the logical conclusion was clear:

Let Isao Sawaguriand the real killer die—save everyone else.

Under increasing pressure from Isao Sawaguri's demands, Amuro finally spoke up:

"The mouse... is Mitsui Tamami!"

"What!?"

"Since the Boss already deduced that the elephant was Sumika Nihei, the rest is simple."

He had no sympathy for murderers.

Even if it meant two deaths weighing on his conscience—so be it.

"Sumika-san said the slippers were dry. But Mitsui-san said they were wet and warm. So the one who bathed just before must've been Shinobu Yuchi—she must be the fox, the second visitor. Which leaves Mitsui-san as the final visitor—the mouse."

Mitsui Tamami turned deathly pale.

Zakuri's eyes lit up with frenzy as he turned the gun on her.

Hayashi Yoshiki, having just written down the time in his notebook, was now ready to write the name.

"Perfect! Absolutely brilliant! As expected from the detectives of the Kindaichi Agency!"

"And now... the vile culprit who murdered my sister and staged it as a suicide... you filthy mouse, Mitsui Tamami!"

He raised the gun—finger on the trigger.

Everyone held their breath.

Amuro Toru, watching, remained expressionless.

He glanced at Hayashi Yoshiki, thinking:

Surely my junior doesn't need to shoulder this burden.

But then... he saw something change in Yoshiki's face.

"No. Wait."

"She's not the killer."

"What!?"

Yes, Mitsui Tamami was indeed the mouse—but she wasn't the murderer.

Under Isao Sawaguri's furious glare—eyes wide with adrenaline and grief—Hayashi Yoshiki stood still for a moment.

Then, emotionless, he said:

"The true culprit... is the fox. That is—Shinobu Yuchi."

Amuro froze.

Though his face remained calm, Yoshiki's voice carried a rare weight.

He had no choice.

If he didn't speak now, an innocent person would die in place of the real killer.

And though he didn't voice it...

Everyone present could feel it in their hearts.